The Warped Drive (LayShad)
Excerpt from "The strangest places you've never cracked" by Roger "The Rabbit" Angeles, 4th edition. The Warped Drive An obscure bar and grill in Seattle with Star Trek-themed decorations and events, The Warped Drive has been under the same management for 14 years in the same location. Star Trek vehicles and locations have been copied, but I’m not sure how authentic they are. We had a good time, even though the service was pretty bad, but it was exciting to watch some of the regulars squabble with each other. Definitely a “let your hair down” kind of joint, since nobody seems to care or notice how stupid everyone looks. Drinks are named after Star Trek weapons (I recommend the "Plasma Wave" or the "Antimatter Mine" but be careful; they sneak up on you and next thing you know, you're in a strange room with two Romulan women and a blue-colored man snoring beside you.) Wednesdays are quiet, a weekly Vulcans' night when local 'Vulcans' debate logical puzzles and play complex games. Occasionally, wilder influences attempt to disrupt things but the Vulcans have been surprisingly firm about enforcing the quiet hours in the bar (try the popular Vulcan beverage “Paradox” for a real kick). Fridays and Saturdays are when the really strange stuff happens, when Klingons threaten each other with twisted knives and Ferengi try to scam each other. My best advice is to keep your eyes on your own drink until you grow more familiar with the place. One of my buddies almost got into a fight with a Romulan for a simple misunderstanding, and someone else in our group got propositioned - or proposed to - by an ugly alien of some sort I never identified. Don’t buy anything from a Ferengi, no matter how great it sounds. Music varies between fairly traditional Goblin rock to more exotic things, sometimes live or AR bands. Food: Daily specials (Mondays - Romulan, Tuesdays - Talaxian, Wednesdays - Vulcan, Thursdays - Betan, Fridays - Klingon, Saturdays - Varieties, Sunday - Bajoran), many standard Nutrisoy, grilled foods and iced drinks. I don't recommend the Torgud gagh (or anything else on the Klingon menu) unless you've had some sort of enhancement done on your stomach. It took me days to recover and Layla says she still isn't back to her old self, three weeks later. The Talaxian was excellent but I found the Romulan dishes under-spiced and the Betan food was a confusing jumble of flavors. I still don’t know if I actually like it. Reservations taken: No, but you can usually get a table in under 20 minutes, except for Fridays and Saturdays. Our longest wait was 40 minutes. Dress code: Most of the regulars are in costume and in character, but there are lots of people who come in normal street clothes as well. Very informal. Payment: Standard, but also they sell a sort of in-house money, gold pressed latinum which comes in coins of various denominations. Not really worth the exchange rate. Pricing: Varies between very cheap (apparently Nutrisoy is very popular in the 24th century) to outrageous (anything from the Ferengi menu should be automatically considered overpriced – and not worth it!). Atmosphere: Lots, don't expect a quiet night (except for Wednesdays) or a place for deep conversations. Not particularly child friendly unless you go early in the evening. Don’t be surprised (I was about to specify what shouldn’t surprise you, but I can’t). Matrix presence: Yes, including a virtual reality version of the same where non-local people can watch the festivities in real time. You can even rent a holoprojector and persona of your choice, and interact with people (costs about 30 nuyen, depending on who you choose – Vulcans were very popular the nights we were there).